Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has been diagnosed with a bacterial infection involving Enterococcus faecium, a bacterium that can cause serious infections, according to laboratory and medical reports dated October 16 and October 22, 2026.
The laboratory report from Clina-Lancet Laboratories in Abuja identified the bacterium in a blood culture and described it as a vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), meaning that it is resistant to vancomycin, an antibiotic commonly used to treat certain serious bacterial infections.
The findings raise medical concerns because the bacterium was isolated from a blood sample.
The October 16 laboratory report, which was marked as an interim report pending final verification, identified the organism as Enterococcus faecium after 24 to 48 hours of incubation.
Additionally, the antibiotic susceptibility results showed that the bacterium was sensitive to ampicillin or amoxicillin, gentamicin, erythromycin, levofloxacin, minocycline and linezolid, but resistant to vancomycin.
The findings mean that treatment decisions would need to be guided by the laboratory results and the patient’s clinical condition rather than relying on vancomycin alone.
A separate medical report dated October 22, issued by ASK Medical and Diagnostics, described El-Rufai as a 66-year-old man with dyslipidaemia, persistent headaches, insomnia, dizziness and low blood pressure.
The report stated that he had presented with mild, generalised headaches and dizziness, alongside a documented history of hypotension. It also recorded an earlier clinical impression of dehydration associated with resistant malaria and possible sepsis.
The doctor’s assessment listed a blood pressure reading of 93/70 mmHg and a pulse rate of 68 beats per minute. His respiratory rate was recorded as 20 breaths per minute, with an oxygen saturation level of 98 per cent on room air.
Although the report described him as being in no apparent respiratory or painful distress, it documented concerns about his symptoms and the possibility of a serious infection.
The medical report also stated that the available investigation results were within the laboratory’s displayed reference ranges, while separately highlighting the positive blood culture for Enterococcus faecium.
Under the clinical summary, the report listed dehydration in a case documented as resistant malaria, possible sepsis, and mild global headache associated with dizziness and hypotension.
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s response to an infection causes damage to its own tissues and organs.
The doctor recommended admission for observation, intravenous fluids and further treatment. The proposed management plan included intravenous dextrose saline with vitamin B complex, alongside medications listed in the report.
The doctor also recommended reviewing the blood culture and antibiotic sensitivity results in consultation with an infectious disease physician to determine the appropriate treatment.
The report advised that antibiotic therapy should be guided by the culture findings and specialist assessment. It listed possible treatment options, including intravenous Augmentin, Gentacel, Flox or intravenous or oral linezolid.
It recommended hospital admission for at least three days, as advised by the clinical pathologist, alongside specialist review and culture-guided antibiotic treatment.
The medical development comes as the former governor faces ongoing legal proceedings, including a criminal trial over the alleged unlawful interception of telephone communications involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
On Monday, October 26, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed El-Rufai’s no-case submission in the case and ordered him to enter his defence if he so desires.
The judge held that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to warrant calling on the former governor to respond to the allegations. The court subsequently adjourned the matter until November 25, 2026, for the defence stage.
El-Rufai had asked the court to discharge and acquit him, arguing through his lawyers that the prosecution had failed to establish a case requiring him to enter a defence. The prosecution opposed the application and maintained that the evidence presented was sufficient for the trial to continue.
The case was brought by the Department of State Services over allegations that El-Rufai unlawfully intercepted telephone communications associated with Ribadu.
In September, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar named El-Rufai as deputy chairman of his presidential campaign council under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The campaign council, announced on September 24, is chaired by Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, while Senator Austin Akobundu serves as director-general and campaign manager.
